Never the Same Again
by nourgelitnius
Summary: "JOAN!" Auggie's voice rang out across the DPD as my lungs finally failed to supply any new air and the office around me went black, dropping into Auggie's arms as I fell. *Rewrite* Chapter 5 up.
1. Chapter 1

So, rewrite! Not much has changed, but I still think it's worth it to read what I have written. If you wanna know more, look on my profile. Let you know all the details there. :) Read on.

* * *

I, Annie Walker, was one of the best new recruits to enter the CIA in almost ten years. I could tail like a ghost, complete a pass with the slightest touch, and I could convince a Swiss nun to turn against her own country. Not that I had, whatever the rumors. But no amount of CIA given skill could keep me from planning ways to kill my sister and make it look like it was for the good of the country. I was barely containing my anger as it was. Danielle had gone too far.

"I don't understand why you're so angry, Annie. We had to invite him over for dinner. He's new to the firm and the partners wanted Michael to welcome Eric to town."Danielle said as I let one of the dinner plates drop in the sink and felt, more than saw, Auggie wince at the sound.

"That I understand. Micheal's on the fast track and so he has to do what they want, but I highly doubt that trying to set me and Eric up was in any way what the partners were intending." I grabbed another cleared plate and dropped that, too, into the sink with a clatter. "And you kept doing it even after I told you that when he and I had dated in College it ended badly." Danielle scrapped the last of the nights leftovers into a container before slipping it into the fridge.

"What could have happened that was so terrible you wouldn't consider dating him again?"

"Well," Auggie interjected before I could answer, "as adventurous as the great Annie Walker may be, apparently she has a thing against latex. More specifically, the kind used for bondage." Danielle stopped what she was doing and looked at Auggie with amusement all over her face.

"And how do you know this?"

"She told me, how else?" Auggie smiled in the general direction of my sister.

"Annie, you do realize that you haven't been on a date in almost three years?" Danielle asked.

"Well, I work a lot." I grabbed another plate and this time, having calmed down, set it in the sink without causing any frightening noises.

"That's right. You spend all of your time at the Smithsonian, on business trips, or hanging out with Auggie; No offense-"

"Non taken," Auggie nodded kindly at Danielle. I briefly wondered if I could change his status to Terrorist in the CIA's system without the Tech noticing.

Danielle closed the dishwasher with a sigh. "Annie, I just...I know how happy I am with Michael and the girls, and I see you everyday trying to hide that look in your eyes-"

"What look." This was getting ridiculous. "I have no look."

"The look that says you would trade it all – the traveling, high profile job, the sharp business suits that make you look like the office sex kitten - for what I have; and I want you to have what I have. To be as happy as I am. A husband, kids, and a _permanent_ home." Danielle walked over to where I stood leaning against the counter. "You are just so stubborn some times that I feel like the only way you will let someone in is if they are shoved at you."

"Well, you're wrong. So stop shoving. Come on, Auggie, I'll take you home." I moved around the counter and grabbed Auggie's arm, steering him towards the front hall.

"Annie-" Danielle's voice halted my steps. "I just want you to stop holding on to some stupid bracelet and move on. Mom-" I turned sharply to face my sister.

"Don't bring her into this."

"But Annie-"

"No. Don't you dare bring her into this." I could feel the tension in Auggie's body coming off him in waves.

"I know you feel like she doesn't understand you, but Annie, have you ever really given her the chance?" Danielle wiped down the counters as if the conversation we were having was about the weather and not the still painful relationship that I had with my mother. My anger flared to a new height and I fought hard to try and squelch it.

"Can't all be mom's precious daughter who could never do wrong. I'm the disappointment who can't do anything right, remember? Come on Auggie." And while I would have preferred to end that statement by slamming a door or stomping out of the room, I left at a normal pace, holding on to Auggie's arm as we left.

The Drive to Auggie's apartment played out in silence. My mind filled with memories from my childhood and my teen years; Of times when I wanted to be exactly like my older sister Danielle, not only because I loved her, but also because maybe, just maybe, my mother would learn to love me more.

"Are you OK?" Auggie's voice was low and calculating. He was trying to test the waters of my mood without sending me into an emotional tailspin that would probably end with us in a car accident. "She shouldn't have used Moira against you. I know how tough your relationship is."

"I'm fine," I lied as I maneuvered my car up to his apartment building.

"Liar." I opened my door, walked around the car, and soon Auggie and I were taking the steps up to his apartment. "People like to think that they know all the facts, Annie. They like to think that they are doing all they can to help those that they love to be as happy as they are."

I sighed before talking. "She's going about it in the wrong fashion. Right now she is just being annoying and making me mad." Auggie smiled a little before unlocking his door.

"You're not there when she harasses _me_ with questions about why I'm not dating anyone and," his voice turned soprano in an attempt to imitate my sister, "'_Auggie, why don't you date Annie? You two get along almost better than Micheal and I do. Would the Smithsonian Allow that? After all, you're a contracted Technition and not an official employee?'_" I gasped in horror. My bad mood was quickly changing as I tried to keep back my laughter.

"Tell me she didn't Auggie. Tell me that you are making that up." A bubble of laughter erupted from me as Auggie's face showed obvious signs that he was serious. "Oh Auggie, I'm so sorry. I'll tell her to stop that right away. It's bad enough when she does it to me."

Auggie pushed his door open wide enough for me to see the boxes piled all about the room in strategic mounds.

"I don't mind really. It gives me the feeling of being on the job again when I have to lie to her and tell her that the Smithsonian frowns upon interoffice relationships or when I have to tell her that the Office and Exhibit Tech Department keeps me too busy to date." His smile faltered slightly before he continued. "Plus, I can tell that she is just trying to make me happy. To know that she thinks well enough of me to be worried about my happiness is touching. You're lucky to have someone that cares about you that much." Silence echoed off the bare walls of his apartment before he smiled again. "Are you still going to go looking for a place with me on Saturday?"

"Unless there is a National Emergency." I smiled back at him knowing full well he couldn't see it.

"See you at work tomorrow Annie."

I watched as he closed the door.

* * *

The next day I practically had to use Farm tactics to elude my sister before leaving for work. She had come to the guest house door and knocked for a good fifteen minutes before leaving a fresh cinnamon roll. I had to giver her credit. She was trying to say that she was sorry and this was her way of doing it. I could have just let her say sorry and worked passed this fight, but my pride still had something to prove.

It had been a relatively slow day at the DPD. Joan had sent me out on a simple brush pass that for once, was simple. The rest of the afternoon I alternated between filing paperwork and ignoring the many calls that Danielle sent my way. So when six o'clock rolled around, I sat at my desk with a secure internet line searching for a new apartment for Auggie with said unhappy tenant seated next to my desk. Auggie had decided to stay with me conversing until his computer finished sweeping and decoding the new hard drives I obtained during the pass.

"I just don't understand how it's taking Stu this long to go to K street and pick up our order. Neither of us has eaten a thing today. I could have gone home and fixed something and been back by now." Auggie complained as I smiled.

"Tell me again why you are moving out of a rent controlled apartment that has a floor plan perfect for you and a beautiful view for me?" I clicked on one of the many search results and looked at the price before moving to click on the pictures offered.

"The waste plant they put in a couple miles down the road is starting to mess with the aesthetics of the place, same goes with the noise of my new neighbors. And honestly, I really don't care about the view. The only benefit it had was that you like to have dinner with me just so you can have a nice dinner on the Potomac whenever you are in the mood for something fancy and you decided to buy a new pair of heals instead of paying for an evening at _La Vue de Fleuve_-"

I made to sound a protest, even if he was right, when he held up a hand in a preemptive strike. "Don't pretend that it's not true." He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Besides, I have been in that apartment since before the accident. The lease is up in three weeks; figured a change of scenery would be nice."

I snorted at his pun and continued my search on the computer. Several minutes later Stu came bounding through the DPD doors sputtering apologies.

"Sorry, there was a massive accident on the freeway. Multiple cars." As Stu walked by my desk I could see Auggie try and reach out for his order only to get air as Stu swerved out of his way and continued walking. "No way. Joan gets her order first or else I get another week in the file room. She has been taking heads off all week."

Auggie groaned. "I'm starving! How are you functioning Annie?"

"I've been sitting here trying not to get light headed while trying to find you a new home." Not seeing anything that I would consider renting, let alone a thirty-two year old blind CIA tech operative, I shut down my computer for the evening. "I guess we are going to have to see what the real estate agent has to show us tomorrow."

Auggie rose from his seat and stretched a little. "Should we go undercover? Maybe pretend that I am just ignoring the agent instead of admitting that I am blind. See how long it takes them to figure it out?" I stood up and, swaying only slightly, wrapped my arm around his and started to move us along to Auggie's office.

"If this is the way you act when you're blind, what must you have been like as a sighted teenager-" My comment was cut short by the ringing desk phone next to my computer. My Smithsonian line.

"It's probably Micheal calling again because I wont answer Danielle's phone calls. Hold on a minute Auggie?" He smiled his understanding as I moved and picked up the phone.

"Annie Walker, Acquisitions."

"Hello, Ms. Walker? This George Washington Hospital. Do you happen to know a Micheal or Danielle Brooks?" my forehead creased in frustration. Danielle must have resorted to her own special brand of theatrics so I would take her calls.

"Did Danielle put you up to this? I'm still mad at her so tell her I have to work late and I will see her when I get home." I hung up the phone in irritation and started to walk back to Auggie when the phone rang again.

"Seriously, tell her that I'm not-"

"Ms. Walker, my name is Nurse Kline from George Washington Hospital. Can you please tell me if you know a Micheal or Danielle Brooks?" An air of authority tinged the woman's voice and sent shivers down my spine. I sucked in a large breath of air.

"I-I know Danielle. She's my sister. What is this about?" I looked over at Auggie to see a worried expression on his face as he slowly inched my way.

"Ms. Walker, I am sorry to inform you that your sister and her family were involved in a car accident this evening. Ms. Walker, Danielle and Micheal Brooks both died on the scene-" As she talked I could feel my chest muscles tightening with an intense pain. My lungs were closing on me.

"What? I'm sor-sorry. I don't..." I could feel my mind reaching for any amount of air it could get but my tight chest and lungs were making it hard for me to breathe as I listened to the Nurse's continued talking.

"-Nieces are currently in our Children's ward. They need a family member with them right now. Could you please come down to the hospital immediately?" I dropped the phone on my desk and slowly backed away. My lungs were closing more. I could feel my face flame up with the lack of oxygen. Auggie grabbed my phone and spoke.

"This is August Anderson, I work with Annie, what is this regarding?...Yes...I will make sure that she gets down there tonight...and Chloe...okay. Katia is with...room 315...yes...yes...thank you Nurse." Auggie placed the phone back on the receiver and turned to put his hands on my shoulders.

"Annie? You need to get your breathing under control." I could hear what he was saying, make out the way his lips formed the words as they left his mouth. All of it made sense. But I just couldn't get my lungs to work the way they were supposed to. My breathing became more erratic, causing panic as I fought to take in air. I was hyperventilating. I slowly started to lower myself to ground as I struggled to get my lungs to work the way they should.

"Take deep breaths Annie. Annie!" I could feel the world start to spin, the edges of my vision going gray, working to take my sight all while I tried madly to breath. Auggie's raising voice was bringing people out of their offices.

"JOAN!" Auggie's voice rang out across the DPD as my lungs finally failed to supply any new air and the office around me went black, dropping into Auggie's arms as I fell.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing an agent does when given a new mission is to try and asses the situation. I knew that I was laying on something soft, and that my head was resting on something hard. I tried to open my eyes. Black, still only black. I briefly wondered if this is what Auggie felt like when he woke up in the morning.

"Annie? Annie? You need to wake up. Agent Singermann is here and he needs to look you over." Joan's voice rang out softly in the room we were in and I tried to open my eyes once more. Light poured in and I quickly shut my eyes again. "Annie." I slowly opened my eyes again only to find Auggie leaning over my form. From his angle, I surmised that the hard surface my head had been resting on were his legs. I would never tell him, but his face was covered in worry. More worry than I had ever seen on his face before. Looking closely I could make out the slight red of his eyes and the tears that had, probably not long ago, clung to his lashes. The sight made my heart hurt the the memory of why I was currently on the couch. Because I lost control after the phone call...

I slowly looked to my right. The window that separated Joan's office from the rest of the DPD was crowded by people who had stayed late and were obviously wondering what was going on. Joan must have noticed what I was looking at because she turned around to face the crowd and shooed the agents away.

"I am going to start handing out assignments to the Yukon, people. Scatter." the group outside the window quickly dispersed and Joan turned back to me.

"Annie? How are you feeling?" Joan, ever the proficient CIA employee, still sounded like my boss; but a slight shift in her voice sounded her concern. She may look hard, but when something was wrong with her agents, she turned into a mother bear. I tried to sit up but a pounding in my head halted my efforts and I laid my head back on Auggie's legs.

"I feel like I've been hit with a sledge hammer," I lightly rubbed my head in an effort to ease the pain. "Did I hit my head?"

"Once you blacked out you started to fall faster than I was anticipating. Sorry." Auggie had a worried look on his face as he apologized. I smiled and grabbed one of his hands that had been on my shoulder and squeezed.

"Thanks anyway, Auggie." I turned to look at Joan again and this time saw the man that was standing next to her. He looked to be in his sixties with smile lines around his mouth and a head full of ginger hair that had almost turned completely gray. One of the only men in the CIA to look like he should be standing being the counter at a mom and pop toy store instead of checking in on downed operatives.

"Agent Walker,"He spoke as he walked towards me, "My name is Agent Singermann. Joan asked me to come and take a look at you. We just want to make sure that everything is in fine working order." He knelt down next to the couch and produced a small flashlight from his pocket. "Can you sit up so I can check your pupil dilation?"

I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position, wincing only slightly at the pain the movement caused.

"Auggie?" I asked as Agent Singermann finished with my eyes and moved to take my blood pressure, "What did the hospital say about the girls?" I stared straight ahead, unable to focus my eyes on anything.

"Katia has only a couple of scratches on her. Maybe a bruise or two. Chloe..." He stopped and seemed to be pulling himself together a little bit. "Her left leg is broken along with some ribs. She was unconscious when they got to the scene. Katia was awake the entire time. They had to give her something to help her get to sleep."

I felt my heart constrict painfully. The thought of being my niece and what she must have been going through while waiting for someone to come and help her family had me closing my eyes to try and gain some control over my emotions.

"Okay. Agent Walker, it looks like your collapse was caused by a combination of your low blood sugar and the hyperventilation you went into with the shock of your phone call." Agent Singermann handed me an apple and a juice box before picking up his tools and standing. "Joan tells me that you need to get to GW as soon as possible. But once you are there, I want you to sit down and rest. Drink the juice, eat the apple. Try to eat an actual meal when you get there. Other than a large headache and possibly a pain behind the eyes, I declare that you are physically healthy to return to active duty." And with that, Agent Singermann briskly walked from the room, leaving me with Joan and Auggie.

"Joan, I-" I stopped and swallowed before slowly standing. "I am the only relative that the girls have in town at the moment. I'm going to need a couple of days off work-" Joan walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Annie. I have already contacted HR about your company issued bereavement leave. I'm sending Auggie with you to George Washington. We'll talk when you get back." Joan looked back at Auggie, who was standing just behind me, before looking me in the eyes. Her face softened. "Go and make sure that when those girls wake up, you are in the room. This is going to be very hard for them."

* * *

The walls of the Children's Ward at GW hospital were covered in brightly lit construction paper portraying sunny hills and children running around with smiles on their faces. Brightly colored floor tiles littered the walkway in front of me. I felt Auggie squeeze my arm.

At the fork in the hallway laid the nurses station, and after a quick conversation with the nurse behind the computer, Auggie and I were standing at the door of the girls' room. A large window looked out over the District. In the bed closest to where Auggie and I stood, where I expected to find one of my young nieces, the bed covers were heavily rumpled and pushed to the foot of the bed and my niece was gone. I looked to the next bed, and saw Chloe and Katia, cuddled up together. Chloe was on her back, leg raised in the air and covered in a cast while Katia was clearly holding onto her sister tightly. Both were asleep.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Auggie piped up at my side.

"Yeah." I led Auggie into the room and sat him down in on the chairs next to the window sighing as I took the seat next to him.

"How's your head?" Auggie asked.

"I still have some pain, but most of it is gone now." Auggie shifted in his seat, reaching for something in his vest pocket before pulling out a travel pack of Aspirin, then he bent and pulled a bottle of water out of his backpack. I let out a small chuckle. "I forgot that you used to be a boy scout. Always be prepared." Auggie smiled and handed me the supplies which I took with gratitude.

"It's better coming from me than from the hospital. They charge four dollars a packet."

"And how is it that you know how much they cost?" I opened the package and swallowed the pills, chasing them down with a mouthful of water.

"I had a lot of headaches when I woke up in the hospital after the accident." The room turned silent. After several minutes Auggie spoke again. "Do you know if the hospital called Moira?"

"I-uh... I should go check. Will you be okay waiting here?" Auggie nodded.

Back at the nurses station several of the nurses were standing around in a circle.

"-And they found there wasn't a Tern left un-stoned!" Laughter filled the air as one of the more matronly looking nurses finished her joke. The nurse who had helped me earlier was nowhere in site and I waited patiently for one of the nurses to notice I was there.

"Excuse me?" I barley recognized my voice it was so small. The nurse who had told the joke noticed me and hurried over.

"I am so sorry darlin'. What can I help you with?" Her slight southern accent added to her cheerful demeanor.

"My nieces are in room 315,"A look of sadness washed over the happy nurses face, telling me that they new exactly what had happened, "And I was wondering who else was on my sisters contact information?"

The nurse looked down at her computer. "One moment." she typed a little and then looked back up at me. "Looks like you and a Richard Brooks were the only ones listed on your sisters emergency contact card. Was there supposed to be someone else listed?"

"No, thank you." I started to turn when her voice made me stop.

"All of us here were real sorry to hear that those angels lost both of their parents in one night. We just want you to know that we are all prayin' for you." I smiled and thanked the nurse before turning towards the waiting area. I had a phone call to make.

I dialed my mothers phone number and waited several rings for her to answer.

"Annie, I haven't heard from you in seven months and you choose to call me in the middle of the Bachelor. You have always had the worst timing. This better be good." I waiting a second before answering. What was I supposed to say to that. _Thanks Mom, I miss you too_?

"I have to tell you something mom." I kept my voice low, hoping she would notice that now was not the time to lecture me about my inability to call at a time that was convenient, but her voice turned sour.

"You better not be stuck in some third world country jail. I _will_ tell them to keep you this time."

"Mom...Danielle, Michael, and the girls were in a car accident. I'm at George Washington Hospital. You need to come to DC." I told her in a rush. I head her suck in a large breath. Her next words quivered.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked.

"Excuse me, miss?" An orderly caught my attention and gestured for me to head towards the elevators, "No cell phones in the hospital, please." I nodded my head as I moved to the elevators.

"Mom-" I stopped to keep my voice from shaking. Somehow, telling someone else what had happened was making it all the more real. I was having trouble keeping back the tears. "Danielle and Michael both died in the accident."

"I'm on my way." The line went dead.

I meandered back towards the girl's room and silently took my seat next to Auggie.

"Moira is on her way. I have ten hours, tops, before she comes marching into Washington with saddles blazing." I let my head fall onto Auggie's shoulder.

"How are you holding up?" He asked, feeling for the remote and turning the tv off.

"Sorry, I'm just exhausted. It's been such a long day." I could feel Auggie's cheeks move against the top of my head and I knew he was smiling a sad smile.

"Shock will do that to a person."

I sighed. "That's never happened to me before Auggie. I just, I couldn't breath anymore. My lungs just wouldn't let me... and I panicked." I looked up at his face from my place on his shoulder. "Has that ever happened to you? From what I hear you were one of the best field agents that the agency had ever seen." Auggie bit his lip in deep thought. As he mused over his answer, I took the opportunity to study his face.

I guess most people would think that you would have all the time in the world to look at a blind person. But Auggie always seemed to know when I was looking at him for long periods of time. There was just something about Auggie's face that was begging me to stare. I had seen some handsome men before, so Auggie was nothing new. Since we had first started working together I had come to notice that wrinkles and worry lines etching their way onto his face, setting in deeper than the ones his age allowed. I guess with an operative like me working with him and being his best friend, it was bound to happen.

Joan had told me that despite the worry lines, Auggie was happier than she had seen him since his accident. I was giving him a link to the outside like no other operative had and providing endless amusement in the process.

Auggie's brown eyes were something of a mystery to me. There were times while talking that I would almost swear that he knew where I was and was looking right at me. I would notice his eyes darting around the room searching for the direction that the sound of my heals were coming from. His eyes still illustrated all the habits of a sighted man.

Auggie shifted slightly and let go of his lip.

"Bogota, Columbia. Three years before the accident. I was supposed to secure a safe house where the agency was going to be placing a drug cartel contact that we had turned. There were complications... The man and his three children were taken out before I could even blink. They almost took me off of field work. Almost..." Auggie smiled slightly before letting his head drop onto mine and he placed a slight kiss on the side of my head. I relaxed. And sometime after midnight, Auggie and I had finally fallen asleep sharing memories that we had about Danielle and Michael.

* * *

I was roused from a deep sleep by a small hand shaking my shoulder.

"Aunt Annie?" I opened my eyes and came face to face with Katia. I sat up straight, rousing Auggie when the weight of my head was no longer felt.

Katia was soon in my lap, her arms circling around my neck and holding on tightly. Soft sobbing noises could be heard coming from the vicinity of her face. I folded my arms around her and squeezed, cooing soothing sounds to try and comfort her.

"They said that Mom and Dad aren't coming back. Mom told me that everything was going to be okay. Dad was just asleep, but we were going to be okay. Who's going to take care of us now?" I could feel the ache in my chest from earlier. These girls were supposed to feel safe, play dress up, and they had the right to have their parents while growing up. They shouldn't have to worry about who would take care of them.

"Katia, do you really think your Aunt Annie or I wouldn't take care of you?" Auggie slowly brushed one of his hands through Katia's hair as he too soothed her. "You need to get back to sleep Katia." Auggie and I started to rise at the same time but the girl in my arms tightened her hold and she caught Auggie's arm.

"I want to stay with you."

"How about I take you back to your bed and lay down with you Katia, and if you want, I am sure that Auggie will let you hold his hand while you sleep?" I was suddenly thankful for my training that required me to think of conflict resolution quickly.

After Katia had nodded her consent to our new plan, I laid the her on her own bed, and after explaining to the terrified girl that I would return once I had moved Auggie's chair to between the beds so that he could hold her hand and Chloe's if she woke up, we were all set. My arm draped over the little girl; Her hand holding tightly to Auggie's as she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Warmth seeped through the windows of the girl's room and slowly woke me from my sleep. Katia was wrapped tightly in my arms, lashes still resting against her cheeks as she slept. I glanced quickly over to Chloe's bed to see that she too was still asleep. Auggie's chair, which sat between the two beds, was empty. I looked around the room and saw that he was nowhere in sight. The bathroom door was open with no one inside. I began wondering where he had gone.

"Annie. Good to see that you are awake." I startled slightly and looked over my shoulder.

Standing in the doorway was Moira Walker. Only slightly shorter than myself, her presence was what made her intimidating. Her silver hair was coiffed to perfection and she was still wearing her charcoal pea coat that had been protecting her from D.C.'s harsh January winds. She walked into the room and briefly looked between the two beds before taking Auggie's vacated seat.

"Where is August?" My mother motioned at Auggie's bag laying at the foot of the bed before looking around the room, taking in her surroundings. Getting her bearings on her new battlefield.

"I don't know. He was here when I fell asleep." Making sure that I did not wake the young girl in my arms, I pulled away. I looked down at my clothes-the same ones from yesterday-and tried to smooth the wrinkles out of my button up shirt. I knew that my mother was watching my every move. Since I had been little, and long after I had moved away from home, my mother always had an opinion on my clothing, whether it was that I had stains on my clothes, later on, that my skirts were too short. I suspected that the only reason she was refraining from commenting on my current day old and rumpled appearance was because we were in a hospital the day after loosing Danielle and Michael. I looked back at my mother.

"Did you just get in?" I asked, trying to cut through the awkward silence as I picked my heels up from off the floor and slowly made way towards the bathroom where I tried to make sense of my hair and mascara. Moira didn't answer. Instead several minutes later I heard her voice, happier than it had been before.

"Hello August." I heard Auggie letting out a brief obscenity followed by laughter.

"Hello Moira. You know better than to catch a blind man by surprise." I moved out of the bathroom to see my mother giving Auggie a hug and whispering something in his ear, making him smile. "The answer is the same as last time," Auggie gave her another quick hug before backing away. I smiled and stepped back into the room.

"Annie?" After I got close enough I placed my hand on Auggie's arm.

"I'm here. Why don't we go into the hall. I don't want to wake up the girls." Our small party slipped into the hall and I closed the door behind us. I opened my mouth to ask Auggie where he had been when I woke up, but was interrupted by my mother's boss like tone.

"Have you contacted Danielle's Lawyer yet?" My mother was the master of getting to the point. She walked down the hall a little ways and sat down on one of the soft benches that lined the halls while waiting for my answer. I walked Auggie to her side where he chose to stand.

"No, I haven't. I have been with the girls since yesterday. I came straight from work."

"Well, that explains your clothes," Moira's gaze traveled my form.

"Anyway, I haven't been home yet. I will look for her lawyers information when I go home next." I briefly looked at Auggie. "Work has given me a couple of weeks off so that I can see to Danielle's and Michael's affairs."

Moira shifted in her seat with a visible agitation before speaking. "Well, we need to contact their lawyer to get the girls guardianship in order so that I don't have any problems getting them into school when they come back to Chicago with me." Auggie, who always felt uncomfortable interfering with any disagreements I may be having with my mother, put his hand to the wall and slowly made his way a little down the hall to give us space. This did not go unnoticed by Moira and a stern questioning look took over her face.

"I,uh...Danielle asked me to sign a form agreeing to be the girls guardian in case of her and Michael's immediate death last year. The girls are staying here...with me." Shock was clearly written on her face as she stared up at me.

"What? Annie, what would posses you to agree to this?" Moira rose to her feet. It was her thing. Even though she was short than me she tried to unnerve me by taking a stand.

"I did it because it's what Danielle and Michael wanted." My mother had been here for less than half an hour and already I wish that I was back within the safe confines of the CIA.

"But you can't take care of the girls, Annie. You don't know anything about how to raise a child. August," Moira called down to Auggie and he walked towards us. "Annie is being ridiculous August. She signed an agreement that gave her custody of the girl's in case both Michael and Danielle died. She has no idea what she is doing. We need to get her to see sense and let me take the girls back to Chicago." Moira plopped back down on her seat and proceeded to, for the lack of a better word, pout. Auggie's face grew serious.

"I had forgotten about that."

Moira looked sharply at Auggie. "You knew about this?"

Moira, from the first moment that she had met Auggie, had loved him. I had been working with the Agency for about a year when Moira had called up, announced that she was coming for a visit, and she expected me to show up for dinner. No Excuses. And she wanted to meet this best friend that Danielle had told her about. We had walked in the door after a stressful day at work involving a Serbian Drug Lord and upon hearing her calculated greating, Auggie automatically told her that she sounded as beautiful as her daughters. She had been a little nervous about his disability, but Auggie's charm soon soothed away any awkwardness or uncertainty she had towards him. When she left two days later, she did so with his e-mail address in hand and has since sent him birthday and Christmas gifts, letters, digital articles she thought he would enjoy, and a healthy dose of homemade snicker doodles. But now, I was starting to wonder if she was changing her mind.

Auggie blew out a breath before speaking. "Yes. Annie asked me once if I thought that she should sign the form. She had some... concerns," Auggie looked my way quickly. " I think she made the right choice. She's close to Danielle's age and will give the girls almost the same experience Danielle would have." I looked between my mother and Auggie.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just call me old, August Anderson." Her glare turn my way. "You have no experience raising children Annie. No experience. And being the favorite aunt who spoils the girls rotten is not experience. I am their _grandmother_. We'll get this all worked out when we talk to the lawyers. Danielle shouldn't have asked you to take on souch a large responsibility." With that, Moira stood from her perch and stomped off and into the girls room. I took her place on the bench and was soon joined by Auggie.

We sat in silence for several moments as I thought for the first time what life was going to be like with out Danielle and Michael. As the guardian of the girls. I had heard of female agents who had families and still managed to keep on with their current agent status, but I had never met one, or even met anyone who knew one. They were the smokey ghosts of the CIA, almost an urban legend. And Danielle had been right when we argued. I lived for my job. There was something about the job I was doing that I would rather be working than trying to move on with my life in a socially acceptable way. And now I had the girls. I highly doubted that Joan would let me go out into the field before Chloe turned eighteen. I would become a female version of Auggie. Benched because life had a sick sense of humor that seemed to target the Agents who wanted to be in the field the most. I was pulled from my thoughts when Auggie's phone rang.

"This is August...Yes, I'm sorry. I had a ...uh...family emergency come up and I apologize for not calling to reschedule...Yes...Thank you. Goodbye." Auggie slowly pocketed his phone and continued his quiet thinking.

"Is everything okay," I asked?

"I was supposed to meet with a realtor today before going to look at places with you." He gave a half smile and turned my way.

"Oh Auggie. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you away." His smile disappeared and he put his hand on my forearm with a firm grasp.

"I'm slightly offended, Annie. You are my best friend inside or out of the Agency. I cared for your sister. I wanted to be here for you and the girls. Do you honestly think I would rather go looking for a new townhouse than be here where you need me the most?" Auggie gave off a little huff as he turned away from me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered and Auggie relaxed. "I _am_ thankful that you are here. I don't think I have been able to keep my temper around my mother were you not here." I softly placed my hand on Auggie's cheek and turned his head towards me more fully. " You are my best friend as well. Danielle would be glad that I have you to lean on right now." Auggie blinked a couple of times, as if coming out of a trance, before smiling.

* * *

Being in one room with Moira Walker all day was comparable to having a root canal. I constantly held the fear that she would suddenly ask how my romantic life was going, or anything about my job, forcing me to give her answers that she would no doubt buck at. I wasn't finding a man to settle down with and how was I ever going to when I kept traipsing all over the world working in a company that discouraged inner office dating. By ten o'clock I was ready to tell her national secrets just so the CIA would have to put her into protective custody. On the upside, Katia and Chloe were doing a fine job of distracting their grandmother. For a large part of the morning, neither girl talked. It took some coercing, but Auggie finally managed to pull them into a conversation, after which we sat around watching cartoons and making sure that the girls were comfortable. Around noon, Chloe was moved into a larger room with only one bed (since Katia had only a few cuts and bruises she had been discharged), but with the added amenities of a couch and a couple comfortable recliners. Auggie stayed the whole day, only stepping out of the room for half an hour to take a phone call from Joan.

It wasn't until the girls were asleep, Moira having gone down to the cafeteria to find a decent cup of tea, while sitting on the couch with Auggie listening to a cooking show, that I realized just how tired I had become. I suddenly yawned. I brought my hand up to cover my mouth and try and cover the noise. Auggie caught onto it.

"Okay, I am taking you home." Auggie stood quickly and reached around for where his messenger bag lay before pulling me up from the couch.

"I don't need to go home in order to sleep. I can stay here with the girls. You go ahead without me." I tried to pull my arm away from his grasp to sit back down on the couch and failed.

"Oh, no you don't. Joan tasked me with making sure that you don't ruin yourself. Your mission is to go home, shower, and sleep." I smiled and stopped fighting as he pulled me out of the room. We passed Moira as we walked to the elevators.

"Going somewhere?" She asked with sincere confusion.

"I'm just taking Annie home to refresh and get some honest sleep. Are you going to be okay till the morning?" Auggie kept propelling me forward as he spoke, almost like he was afraid that if we stopped we would loose momentum and never leave. Moira just smiled her consent and continued on to the girls room. She would never refuse Auggie anything, even if he did disagree with her on the guardianship of the girls.

We grabbed a taxi that was sitting in front of the hospital and silently made our way back home. As Auggie and I walked towards the garage and the guest house, I took in the sight of my sister's home. It felt empty, almost as if the house, the very stones that made up the outer walls, knew that Danielle was never coming back. The house looked like it was in mourning. Auggie slowed as we reached my door, pulling me into the slower pace along with him.

"Annie, there is something that I have been thinking about; Something I think you should strongly consider,"Auggie ran a hand over his face and I could sense his trepidation. He was nervous. "Danielle told me in passing a couple of months after I met her that she and Michael added into their will that along with guardianship of the girls, you would also have control of the house until the girls reached legal age. The house is paid for, so you and the girls won't need to worry about moving or where to live." Auggie paused as if to gather his thoughts.

"And," I pushed.

"And I will admit that the man in me is worried about you living alone with the girls. I may be blind, but having someone else around would guarantee a certain amount of security. As I am currently looking for a place to live, if you feel that you need me at all, I will move in." Auggie let out a small breath in relief. Relief of what, I do not know, but it touched my heart that this had been weighting on his mind and that it meant so much to him. To be honest, I hadn't really given mine and the girls situation any thought. That fact that the house might not be paid for or that the girls and I would have to relocate had never crossed my mind. And it was true that I was an Agent with the CIA, but that information had been kept from anyone not in the Game.

"I know that you can take care of yourself, you're a trained CIA Field Operative, but these are your Nieces. You can't just Kudo Chop anyone who breaks into your home without scaring the girls." Auggie spoke as if he had been reading my mind.

I grabbed Auggie's face with both my hands and kissed him on his cheek. "Thank you, Auggie." He smiled brightly.

"Alright." Auggie reached for my door and opened it wide. "Now, you need a shower. While Malone Grapefruit is lovely, it's not meant to be worn two days straight without bathing."

* * *

Alright, here is chapter 3. I am starting Chapter 4 tonight, and hopefully it will be up by the end of the weekend (crossing fingers). And, don't know if you all care, but before I started changing everything, I printed off all the reviews that I had received for the three chapters I had up. You all are AWESOME! Let me know if you like the changes, if the story is getting better or worse. I really like to know these things.  
BTW, the story will not be centered totally on Annie/Auggie, the girls, and Moira. In the next couple of chapters we will get into Joan and Jai's lives a little (little) bit.  
Happy Writing,  
Nourgelitnius


	4. Chapter 4

**This is where the rewrite of the previous chapters really makes a difference. I would suggest that if you haven't reread the rewritten chapters, that you do it now.  
Oh, and I forgot my disclosure on the other chapters: I do not own Covert Affairs. If I had, last night Annie would have kissed Auggie at least on the cheek instead of just straightening his tie. :) **

* * *

It felt good to sit under the hot spray of my shower as drops of water washed away the sweat and grime from the last two days. It also felt good to be able to slow down and for the first time since I had received the phone call, I let myself fully see the situation.

I could hardly believe it had really been two days since I had last talked to Danielle. In reality, it felt like weeks. But we had had a fight, she tried to apologize and I wouldn't let her. Now I was never going to talk to her again. I lifted my face into the spray and let the drops mix with the tears that had slowly started to flow. The pain in my chest returned the more I thought about Danielle and Michael.

I could remember the day she brought him home to meet Mom and Dad. I had been cautious about him at first; My sister was not known for picking keepers. But that night as the couple cuddled on the couch I saw her face change whenever he was near. Her face lit up the room and I could tell, just from that one evening, how much she loved him. And upon spending more time with Michael, I saw how good he was for her. How much he truly loved her, even though he didn't show it to others. He adored her. It was then that I feared my place in my sisters life had been handed to someone else.

From that time forward I knew that should anything ever happen to Michael, Danielle would fall to pieces. I let out a small laugh at the irony. By the grace of God, they went together. She didn't have to live without him at all. I could feel the tears coming faster. Oh, how I wished that I could talk to her right now. I needed my sister. I needed her so badly. I needed to talk about the girls. I needed to talk about Mom. I would finally tell her about my job. I would tell her that I was so sorry for not answering my door when she came by to knock and for not answering her phone calls. I would tell her thank you for trying to make my life better with her ridiculous Thursday Night Dinners and the horrible men she tried to set me up with. I would tell her...

My crying reached such a pace that I no longer could think about what I would tell Danielle were she still here. I just focused on getting my tears out. Maybe, just maybe, if I let myself cry, this hurt in my chest that was trying to kill me would go away.

"Annie?" I could hear Auggie's voice on the other side of the shower curtain. I hadn't heard the door open.

"It...didn't hurt thi-this...much when Dad...died." A hand slowly moved the curtain aside at the other end of the shower and upon finding the hot water knob, turned it to the off position. I could hear Auggie feel around for my over sized robe before handing it to me from the other side of the curtain.

"Come on, if you are in there any longer you'll look like a prune." Auggie tried to lighten the mood, but I could still hear the sadness in his voice. I stood up and pulled on the robe. As soon as I stepped out of the shower I found Auggie waiting for me.

This man that was always there for me, I wonder if he ever got tired of carrying me, especially now? He was in my ear on missions, bringing me home and now here he was, after Dani, picking me up off the floor; How heavy a burden I must be to him and yet he never complained. I took a few tentative steps before launching myself into his arms. For a world that was spinning out of control, here he was; solid, safe, and my center. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed before slowly leading me out of my bathroom and over to my bed. My tears started to come again with the same force as before.

Auggie coerced me onto the bed and when I wouldn't let go of him, he crawled on as well. He lay on his side and cupped me to him. As my sobs grew and I started to shake, he made soothing sounds into my hair and rubbed my back to try to comfort me. After several minutes I started to calm down and soon, with my nose to his collar inhaling a scent that couldn't be described as anything but pure Auggie, I fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke the next morning, Auggie was no where to be found. He had left a voice message on my phone telling me that he called a car to take him home for a change of clothes and a shower. I needed my rest and I was finally sleeping easily. He didn't want to wake me. If I needed him then I should call.

As I bundled up my robe after changing into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I couldn't help but bury my nose in it's soft fabric. Auggie and I, while great friends, were not the sort to get too physically close on a daily basis. He knew how I smelled because of his heightened sense, but I had never really smelled him before. This scent that lingered on my robe sent a wave of relaxation through me. He smelled clean. Warm. Deep. I breathed in the scent once more before throwing it in my hamper.

The next several days seemed to blur together. That day Moira moved out of the hotel she had been staying at and into the guest room of the main house. As soon as I had found the information for Michael and Danielle's lawyer, she had taken over. This was her area of expertise. She was the problem fixer, the organizer. And I let her take control.

That night that I had cried to Auggie seemed to have opened a floodgate in my emotions. I would sit in the girls room and watch them while they slept in the same bed. And while they slept, I could see them changing. Slowly, but it was happening. And I realized that this right now was only just the beginning. Things were irrevocably different from now on. It was a sense that followed me around everywhere I went, lacing itself through everything I saw or heard.

On Monday, Katia and Chloe's classes sent large handmade cards that were covered with finger paintings and little notes written in marker. Moira had informed me that the school had called wondering where the girls were, and upon learning what happened, charged their classes with the making of the cards. They brightened the girls faces for several minutes before they returned to their sad state and I felt my heart break a little more.

Tuesday, Auggie was called into the DPD by Joan on an important matter. So important that Auggie jumped from where he was sitting and only managed a rushed goodbye to our group before he left. As the CIA Agent that I was, my curiosity was peaked. I itched to get up and follow him out of the room to ask him what was happening, to read me in and I ached for the rush that came with receiving a new mission. It had become a natural response over the past year and a half. As natural as my fight or flight response. I pushed those feelings down. And I had the feeling that I would be doing that a lot in the months and years to come.

On Wednesday Chloe was released from the hospital. The ride home had been a little more exciting than most. Both girls were shell shocked from their last car ride and I had to keep a good hold on my defensive driving to make sure that the girls weren't gripping the seats in fear. It was all combined with my mother telling me how to drive. It took several hours for the girls to start to feel comfortable in their home again. I think they sensed the change in the houses mood just as much as I did.

But today...today moved so slowly I thought it must have been compensating for the days before. The morning had been bright and clear and crisp; slightly warmer than the week before, but not by much. The funeral was crowded. I should have never thought that it would be anything but. Both Michael and Danielle had been very sociable and likable people. But I had never would have thought that there would be as many people as there were. However long the funeral and following wake had been, I was sure that nothing was going to compare to the reading of their Last Will and Testimony.

Everyone who was listed as a beneficiary in the Will was currently sitting around the large mahogany table in the conference room at Stanley & Stark. Katia and Chloe sat between my mother and I while Auggie sat on my right. On the other side of the table sat Michael's parents. Elaine and Charles looked a little worse for wear, but they were at the reading of their sons Will while their only surviving child, Robert, was out of the country and unavailable, what was I expecting.

Michael's Attorney, Mr. Stanley, walked through the door and quickly took a seat at the head of the table. He was an older gentleman that looked like he had been to too many of these meetings for his liking. Grey hair and crows feet attested to that. But I was surprised when he finally opened his mouth and a very regal British accent came out.

"Thank you all for being here. I'm sorry for you loss. I knew both Michael and Danielle very well and I was sorry to hear of their accident. I am thankful that the girls," Mr. Stanley motioned towards Katia and Chloe who were fidgeting in their seats, "are well enough to be home." He took one look around the table before pulling a file out of his briefcase.

"We will start with the reading of the will. If there be any objections please save those for after the reading." Everyone around the table nodded their understanding and Mr. Stanley began with the reading. "_This is the last Will and Testament of Michael Donald Brooks and Danielle Elizabeth Walker Brooks. We, being of sound and disposing mind, do hereby make and declare the following to be our Last Will and Testament, revoking all_-" I let out a breath that I didn't know that I had been holding. This was the final formal reminder that Danielle was gone. There would be reminders everyday of my life, but this was it. I pulled my hands into my lap, lightly using my nails to scrape and tear at my cuticles, a nervous habit that I had had since I was young. I started a little bit when I felt Auggie's hand wrap itself around mine. I laced my fingers through his and I smiled a small smile at the reminder that he was here for me.

"_-regarding our daughters Katia Eloise Brooks and Chloe Anne Brooks, should they not be of legal age, we award guardianship to Anne Katherine Walker until such time as the girls should reach maturity. Should she be unwilling or unable to take guardianship of the children by the terms set herein, then guardianship may be arranged by Moira Walker and Charles and Elaine Brooks. As to the hou-_"

"Wait. Wait just one moment."Moira slapped her hand on the table and started to stare down the attorney. I looked across the table at the stunned faces of Michael's parents before looking back at my mother. I new from the comments that had been coming my way for the past several days that Moira was less than thrilled with the decision that I would get the girls, but even I was surprise by her sudden outburst and battle of wills with the attorney. "I think this is all ridiculous. She's not qual-"

"Ma'am. I will ask that you wait until the reading of the Will is finished before any complaints or formal contests are made." The man returned Moira's stare with full force and didn't return to reading the will until he could visibly see her yield. From that point on, Moira sat sunken in her seat and Mr. Stanley was able to read through the rest the basic Willing information quickly. I wasn't shocked when the house had been awarded to my care because of what Auggie had told me the other day. The family car was willed to me as well, but I couldn't help a small sad smile at that. The car had been totaled in the accident. I was guessing that Dani wasn't planning on going that way. She had been more afraid of the house falling on her than of a car accident.

After he finished reading off a large sum of the Will, Mr. Stanley paused and pulled out his briefcase and took out several small envelopes and one large one before returning to the reading.

"Mrs. Walker," he turned to address my mother. "To you Michael and Danielle Will a list of assorted jewelry and Art in the home. I believe you will find an itemized list along with pictures in this envelope." He handed her one of the small envelopes. It looked to have several folded pages tucked within its thin case. "Within, you will also find a letter for your personal perusal to be shared at your discretion. Katia. Chloe." He looked straight at the girls and softened his voice a little, waiting for them to look at him directly. "You both get a letter from your mother and father today, but your parents have written several letters to you that your Aunt will guard until the appointed time that you should read them. Also, both of you will have access to your parents belongings such as books, your fathers vinyl collection and when you get older, your mothers more precious jewelry." Mr. Stanley motioned towards someone at the other end of the room that I had not noticed till now. The young woman came forward and handed me a small Filofax that I presumed held the letters for the girls. I took the container and slowly opening it. There were several dividers that listed different ages and in each divider was a letter for each of the girls; Some thin, some thick. As I looked this over, Mr. Stanley went on to tell Michaels parents about what they were receiving. I only listened half heartedly.

"Annie," I looked up from the Filofax. "Danielle was very specific about the language for this next part. She said that you are to be _bequeathed_ an account that Danielle named _The Annie Walker Shoe Fund_." Everyone around the table sat silent for a moment, no doubt wondering if they had heard that right. But upon hearing the name that Danielle had given the account, I couldn't stop myself from laughing. It started out small, but as it sunk in what had just happened, my laughter grew. Auggie started laughing as well as the irony of the situation become more focused.

"I don't understand. Why would Danielle do that?" Moira had a very serious look of confusion on her face and it only served to make me laugh louder. I couldn't help it. In the days since the accident I had laughed rarely. It seemed that now that I was laughing again I couldn't stop. I continued laughing for a couple more minutes (even the girls had started to giggle) before I calmed myself down. Or as much as I could at the moment.

"Danielle once told me, before she had married Michael, that if she were to die, the only thing that could ever make me feel better would be several new pairs of Louboutin Heels." The last of my laugh came out as more of a small cry. "She said she would start saving the money for a special fund that she would _bequeath_ me." I let out one more small laugh before I smiled and looked back at Mr. Stanley. "Was there anything else?" I asked.

"Ahh, yes. There are some letters for you here. One each from Danielle and Michael." He handed me the envelopes before picking up the last envelope and looking directly towards Auggie. "August Anderson. Michael wishes for you to have the information within this package. He asked that the letter he had written to you be typed in braille so that you may read it privately if you so wish. That is also enclosed within the package." Mr. Stanley pushed the package my way and I in turn handed it to Auggie. My curiosity was certainly peaked. I had known that there were times that I would invite Auggie over to the house for dinners and often times Michael and Auggie would sit and talk with each other, but I didn't think that they would have formed such a connection. And apparently, it had been a close connection based off the look that had taken over Auggie's face. He looked stunned, but almost like he wasn't surprised. I had the feeling that he knew exactly what was in the envelope, but was unsure if it were a good thing or not.

"Alright. I have read the entirety of the Last Will and Testament for Michael and Danielle. Should there be any concerns or formal contests, please feel free to notify my office." Mr. Stanley started to stand from the table when Moira stopped him.

"I would like to contest the Guardianship." Everyone around that table had started to stand before Moira spoke, but upon hearing what she said, I halted in helping Chloe from her seat. Everyone froze.

Mr. Stanley schooled his face and I could tell he was trying to keep his calm. "Mrs. Walker. I will have you know that should you formally contest the guardianship of the girls, then it has been outlined in the will that should anything happen to Ms. Walker, the girls would go straight to Mr. and Mrs. Brooks and bypass the part that includes you. I suggest that you read the letter that your daughter left for you." And with that, the reading was over. Mr. Stanley left the room and us to our own devices. And as I walked with the girls and Auggie towards the elevator (Moira walking several steps ahead of us) and I watched to make sure that Chloe was doing well with her new crutches, I felt a little a peace. Life could begin to return to normal.

Or at least as normal as it could ever be.

* * *

YAY! New Chapter! So, I didn't put it up this weekend because I got sick. On 4th of July Weekend! At least I got to see the fireworks from my back porch. That's the great thing about small towns. Also, I should let you know that a wedding I have been planning is this week followed by a birthday party for one of my close friends, so Update? Probably not for at least a week.  
I know that everyone (myself included) was freaking out about Auggie's change in Job, but I felt that last nights episode was wonderful. I actually really liked Jamie Alexander's character and would love it if they brought her back. But I had this chapter sitting on my computer, kinda not wanting to write at the moment, when that last scene with Annie and the girls made me want to get this out. Tell me what you think! Hey, even give me idea's if you want. I was thinking about adding some action/adventure to this story. let me know what you think.  
Happy Reading,  
Nourgelitnius


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up late. It's not something that I usually do, but I did. Could you really blame me though? For the past year and half I was always up by seven, even on weekends. I had my schedule. I stuck to it. One of the only things that I do stick to. And after being on berievement leave for the past two weeks, I got off that schedule and started sleeping in; so last night I may have forgotten to set my alarm clock. But that's okay because I now have three alarm clocks, one in a cast.

"Chloe, where's your backpack?" I reached across the kitchen island and slapped a pop tart in front of my niece before rushing out into the hallway to call for Katia while similtaniously trying to put my heels on. "Katia! We have to go. Get _down_ here." I rushed back into the kitchen with a slight stumble, fully aware that Chloe was watching me with amusment from her seat at the island.

"What are we going to have for lunch?" She asked with interest. Lunch? I turned around in circles trying to remember where I had put the girl's lunch boxes the night before. As I searched all the cabinets as well as the fridge and the oven, Katia walked into the room with a huff.

"Aunt Annie, I can't find my bumpy sweater."

"Did you try looking in your hamper?"

"Yes and I looked in all my drawers and my closet and I can't find it."

I stalled my looking and rushed into the laundry room where several piles of laundry were piled up. Can you really blame me? I had spent the last several days convincing my mother that yes, she could go home, yes I would call her every other day, and if she really wants to know, Auggie will be moving in later this week and she can turn him into her spy _then_ if she really wanted. I pushed aside several piles of clothes before finding her bumpy sweater. I hurried back into the kitchen and while handing Katia her sweater I spotted their lunch boxes on top of the fridge.

"Okay, lets go girls. We don't wanna be late the first day back." I helped Chloe get her backpack on before grabbing the lunch boxes. We were halfway out to the car when I realized I had left my keys inside. I quikly retrieved them and ran back to the car. "Are we excited?"

The girls just rolled their eyes. Either at my fake enthusiasm or the show that I had been putting on this morning; Or both. Weren't they too young for the eye roll?

Fifteen minutes later I pulled up to their school. All the busses were gone and no one was out front. I took a quick look at the clock on the dashboard. Eight fifty-nine. School started at eight forty-five. We were late. As we made our way slowly up the walkway to the school I tried to remember if I had brushed my teeth before I left the house. I honestly coudn't remember. I checked my breath in my hand. I didn't smell, course that didn't quaruntee anything. When we reached the glass door I saw my reflection and quickly pulled my hair band from the night before out of my hair and fluffed. It was as well as I could do at this point.

I pulled open the door to the office and looked around me. Sudden flashbacks from elementry school rushed back at me. A woman that I could have sworn had worked at one of my elementry schools...was it Belgem where I got detention for stealing the class fish?...Or Beirut? The woman in question had hair that looked like it was in curlers every minute she wasn't in public. Her long peach colored fingernails clacked at her keyboard. I waited a minute for her to look up. Nothing. I coughed. The only part of her that moved was her eyes and she looked at me through her lashes.

"Can I help you?"

"Ah, yes. I need to check my nieces in. We had a late start this morning." I smiled hopeing that this woman would soften up a bit. Yep, she looked just like the lady from the office in Belgum...or Beirut. Pretty sure it was Belgum.

"Names." She looked back down at her computer with dissinterest.

"Katia and Chloe Brooks." Her head snapped up, face softened, and she looked over at the girls who were seated. She tapped away at her computer again and looked back at me, her face back to what I was guessing must be her default expression.

"Principle Byrnes wants to meet you. Take a seat and Mindy will get the girls to their classes." The woman pointed behind her to a younger woman who smiled warmly. My phone beeped.

_Where are you? Joan needs to talk to you. - Jai_

"Uh, normally I would love to meet with the principle," I lied. Just hearing about a principle reminded me of all the times I had been pulled into the office during all twelve years of school. "But, I really have to get to work if I am going to be off in time to pick up the girls. Why don't we just get them checked in." I smiled again.

"We'll need your contact information before you leave." I dug through my purse and pulled out my smithsonian business card. As the woman typed in the information I walked over to the girls.

"Are you sure that you have everything?" I checked their bags. Chloe smiled and nodded her head while Katia let out a small affermation. "Okay. I have to go into work today. But they have my number so if you need anything at all, just give me a call." I gave both the girls a kiss on the cheek and after signing the check in sheet the woman behind the counter gave me, I walked with the girls out to the hall where Mindy, all smiles, walked them to class.

The drive to Langley went by quickly. Without the girls in the car I was back to driving at breakneck speeds and weaving in and out of traffic. I almost ran through the hallways and only slowed down to open the doors to the DPD. As I walked to my desk Jai passed.

"Where were you? Joan has been asking for you."

"I'm sorry, in the two weeks that I was gone have you turned into Sophie?" I asked, refering to Joan's mousy assistant. I dropped my purse and coat under my desk before taking stock of the pile of files on my desk.

"No, but Auggie and I have been in her office most of the morning. It's not fun to try to have a meeting with her while she is pacing the entire length of her office." I put down one of the files I had grabbed.

"You and Auggie have been in her office all morning? What for?" Jai gave a half hearted shrug and started walking backwards to his desk.

"Very sensitive mission. You'll have to be read in."

I turned and looked up at Joan's office just in time to see her exite and call me over.

"Annie." She shut the office door behind me. "How are the girls doing. They looked well at the funeral."

"They are doing as well as can be expected. Today was their first day back to school and we overslept." I smiled a little, hopeing that I didn't look too frazled from my hurried morning. Joan just smiled and shrugged it off. She moved behind her desk and upon seeing that I was intending on standing, motioned towards one of the chairs across from her.

"Have a seat Annie." She sat down and I followed. I waited with baited breath to hear what Joan had to say. She didn't make me wait long.

"I can't send you out into the field anymore, Annie."

"Can't or won't?" I asked.

"Annie, I am afraid that things are going to be different for you here at the DPD now that you have the girls to take care of." Joan looked me in the eye. "I _won't_ send you out in the field." I just stared at her for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what she had just said. I turned and stared out the window, watching as a late January snow started to fall and wondered momentarily if the girls would be warm enough for recess.

"I want you to understand that this change is my call," Joan continued. "I could perfectly well keep you in the field, and with your streak, in constant danger. But I don't think that's what your sister and her husband had in mind when she asked you to be their guardian and I want to keep you within the DPD. You're dedicated, hardworking, and you have a gut that has saved your life and others on many occasions. I have created a position within the DPD that we have been needing for a while, I just never bothered to fill it. What would you say to a promotion?" Joan gave me a half hearted smile.

"What's the job?" I asked with curiosity. I turned from the window to look at Joan.

"I want to make you director of the Office of Foreign Affairs within the DPD. You would be interacting with bengin foreign nationals who are relevant to any missions we are currently working. The OFA would also be in charge of any translations needed by the DPD. You would have set hours and your cover would still be intact. I understand Auggie is going to be moving into your guesthouse and because of that we cannot expose your cover or else it would put his in danger." Joan pulled a file from her desk and handed it too me. I opened the folder to find a letter detailing the full list of duties I would have, the size of staff that I would be given, my hours and upgraded benefits, among other things.

"Is this my only option?" I looked Joan in the eye and noticed right away that she had been anticipating my response.

"I get it Annie, I do. You started here only a couple of years ago. You have at least another fifteen years that you could be doing undercover work with the Agency. If you don't take this job, Arthur will pull you out of the DPD and make you a paper pusher somewhere. Maybe even a job that would break your cover." Joan moved around her desk and sat in the chair next to mine. "If you take this position then when the girls get old enough we can put you back into the field. This position will guaruntee that once the girls are not as much of a concern you will be able to work in the field again. It's a place holder until I can put you back out there." I fingered the edge of the folder in thought before making my decision.

"I'll take it. When do I start?" I looked up as Joan rose from her seat and walked around her desk.

"Next week. We are currently setting up your division in the offices behind Auggies. I need you close. But until then I had Sophie put some files on your desk that I want traslated by the end of today."

* * *

"So now you have your own division." Auggie pulled off his headphones as I leaned against his desk. There was a sort of sad smile one his face.

"Joan told you?"

"After our meeting this morning she pulled me aside to talk about it." He gave a halfhearted shrug. "She wasn't sure if you were going to go for it and wanted to know if I would be willing to persuade you other wise if you said no. She's worried about something, I just can't put my finger on it."

"That doesn't explain how you knew I said yes." Auggie's smile was full now and I couldn't help but smile along with him.

"Because you would rather stay in the DPD, bossing people around while keeping your cover intact than let Arthur Campell send you off to the land of lost agents. But look at it this way, now we are going to be neighbors. And I can't wait for them to finish next door. They have been banging around there all week." I laughed at the expression on Auggie's face. Something on Auggie's desk caught my attention and I looked to see Michael's letter to Auggie out of the envelope and under Auggie's fingers. Course, the whole letter was in braille so I couldn't even tell what it said, but the paper under Auggies hand looked like it had been read many times. I was worried that the braille typeing would only last a couple more readings.

"How are you doing Auggie? I know that you and Michael were getting to be really good friends."

"I'll get by." Was his only response. He fingered his letter a little more.

"Can I ask what is in the letter? Or, if it's too personal, then, don't tell me." I stuttered out. Auggies smile was prominent, but underneath the smile was a hint of ...something. I couldn't make it out.

"Just going over some things that we had talked about several months ago. Still trying to wrap my head around everything he said. I'll let you read it someday." I smiled and grabbed his hand, patting it to let him know I understood, before standing and making to move to my own desk with my moutain of paperwork. His hand, still holding onto mine, stopped me. I turned around to ask him what was wrong, but my voice stopped in my throat.

Auggie was running his fingers along my hand in light touches and the shock of his touch was leaving me breathless. I watched as Auggies fingers memorized the lines in my palm, dipping into the little grooves and lightly coming back up onto the fleshier parts. His eyes were closed and he looked almost tranquil. So much so that I didn't stop him.

Soon, his fingers began tracing my fingers and I calmly watched as he did so. He started with my my thumb and worked his way from finger to finger. His fingers then moved up to my wrist and he stayed there for several moments before ceasing his exploration of my hand, instead threading his fingers through mine, giving a squeeze, and letting go.

"I'll see you for lunch?" He asked, somewhat still distracted from whatever line of thought he had been in while studying my hand. I struggled to catch my breath for a moment.

"Ye-yeah. I'll see you for lunch."

I turned around and walked out of Auggies office, closing the door softly behind me. _What the heck had just happened?_ I walked towards my desk and promptly sat down in my seat. I must have been sitting there for several moments, staring at my blank screen, before I shook myself out of my...whatever I was in. _Auggie lost someone as well. He has things on his mind._ I picked up the top folder on my desk and tried to get to work on the translation, but after a couple of minutes the memory of his hand on mine took over. I put down the folder and opened my hand to look at my palm lightly tracing where his fingers had been. Never in all my life had I been touched that way. It had been so gentle and warm. Yet, at the same time it was...I shook my head again and got back to work, trying desperatly to put what had happened moments before out of my head. My mind was playing tricks on me.

* * *

A/N Here you go! Sorry it took longer than I wanted, but at least you didn't have to wait ten months for it :).


	6. Chapter 6

**So, right here is where you take those rotten tomatoes that you have been saving up and throw them at me. It's okay, I'm an easy target right now. Sorry that I haven't updated as much as I thought I would. For some reason this chapter was really hard to get out and make coherent. These last couple chapters have been feeling like filler chapters more than actual story movers, so I had to step it up with this one. **

**Also, If you haven't seen _Vertigo_ with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, then you may want to tread carefully in the last part of the chapter. Spoilers.**

* * *

"So you're adjusting well then?"

"Yes."

"And you are sure that the girls are doing fine? And what about August?"

"Mom, the girls are doing have Allison waiting for them when they get home if I am not there. And Auggie-" I paused and turned to look at Auggie as he made his way around my new office for what must have been the tenth time; And that was just today. For the past couple of days Auggie had been spending his free time walking around my office in circles. Well, that and bossing around Stu as he set up my computer system. "He's fine, Mom."

"But how do the girls feel about you spending so much time setting up at your new office? Does it really take two weeks to set? I think that you should be at home. You're their guardian now. You need to be there for them." My moms voice filtered through the phone laced with judgment. Even though her voice was traveling 700 miles, it didn't loose any of the guilt I knew she was trying to drop on me. "I am sure that the Smithsonian would understand if you got off work in time to be there when the girls got home from school. This new Foreign Affairs post can't possibly be that busy. Is August there? Let me talk to him."

"Aug?" He stopped his walking and turned in my direction as I pushed my phone into his hand.

"Hello Moira." I watch as he walked back to the wall and continued his walking.

"Hey Stu?" Stu's head popped out from under my desk, wires circling his neck and an alien looking plug in each hand, and I was once again thankful that I had chosen to wear pants today.

"Yeah?"

"Have you noticed anything off with Auggie lately?" Stu craned his neck to get a better look at Auggie as he and my mother continued to talk on my phone.

"Well he's been yelling more than usual. Is that what you mean?" I turned my attention from Auggie to the tech currently at my feet.

"Did something happen on the mission that Joan had him on? I know he's been staying late to work and his new Agent hasn't been the most obedient." Stu shook his head before crawling back under my desk.

"No. Not that I know of. But you know," Stu's head came into view again, "he has been carrying around this envelope. I mean, it goes everywhere with him. Sometimes he'll just sit there holding it, not even taking the paper out. Must be something in that is bothering him." Stu disappeared from view once more as Auggie's laugh reached my ears.

"Agent Walker?" I looked to the door way to see Joan's mousy haired assistant hesitating on the threshold, holding a new set of files for me to take from her. I rose and met her where she stood.

"New files for me Sophie?" as I grabbed the files I threw the girl a smile. She looked like she could use one.

"Yes, Joan asked that you have these done by tomorrow morning when she gets in. The situation information is in the stop folder." She finished with a stressed smile.

"Is everything okay Sophie?" The younger girl looked like she was going to have kittens at any moment, but my comment must have put her at ease as her whole body visibly relaxed.

"I think something is wrong with Joan. For the past month it feels like I can't do anything right. She keeps threatening to send me and everyone else to the Yukon." Sophie leaned in closer as she lowered her voice. "I don't want to go to the Yukon, Agent Walker."

I couldn't help it. I laughed. "I highly doubt that she is going to send you to the Yukon, Sophie. You're the best assistant that she has had for a while." A confused expression overtook her features. "I'll check on her to see if anything is wrong. Just keep your chin up. You're doing great." Sophie smiled and with a renewed energy to her step, took off towards her office. Jai was coming down the hall and stopped to talk to her for a moment. His soft baritone asked her some questions and she mumbled a reply before walking away quickly. Jai, who looked confused that the conversation had ended so quickly, continued to where I stood, leaning against the door jam to my office.

"How's the new office coming?"

"Pretty well. Stu is just finishing up with my computer." I looked behind me to find Stu, sticking out from under my desk, fighting with Auggie about the best way to bundle the wires. "Auggie's been keeping me company and an eye on Stu. I'm sure you know how fun _that_ is."

Jai smiled before turning to look in the direction of Joan's office. "Is everything alright with Sophie? She has been acting different lately."

"Joan has been riding her a bit tougher the last couple weeks. But it seems to be going around." I paused and looked in at Auggie before Jai's words sunk in and I spun around to face my co-worker. "You've noticed that she has been acting different? Just how often do you interact with her, Agent Wilcox?"

"Well, I-"

"Annie, we're all done here." Stu stepped out of my office and prevented me from catching Jai's response before proceeding to spout off a string of completely geeky computer terms. I had no idea what he was talking about so I just nodded, pretending I understood. I could always get Auggie to explain it to me later.

"Thanks Stu. I really appreciate it." I looked back into the office to see Auggie still standing against the far wall. "Will you do me a favor and keep an eye on him?"

"Sure thing Agent Walker."

"So," Jai whispered to me once Stu had stepped out of hearing range. "Auggie has been acting strange? More so than usual?" I sighed.

"He's just moved for the first time since he lost his sight, moved into a house with Children who just lost their parents, and lost one of his own friends. I don't exactly expect him to be acting normal. But he acts perfectly fine at home. He keeps the girl's occupied while I try to spend what little free time I have trying to carve out a normal life for us." I turned to face Jai sharply. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get grape juice from sweaters?"

"No-"

"Not to mention getting everyone up and ready in the morning." Jai's eyes gave my face a quick one over before hesitantly opening his mouth to speak.

"Have you ever thought that maybe Auggie is holding it together at home because he is trying to be there for you? I know that Auggie and I aren't the best of friends and probably never will be, but I will say this about the guy; When he becomes loyal to someone, he does everything he can to help them out." Jai smiled to himself, "He's almost like a dog that way."

I grinned. "Kinda like a St. Bernard."

"Yeah," the look on Jai's face showed his confusion. Clearly he wasn't expecting a specific dog to compare Auggie to. "What I am saying is that he probably knows that both you and your nieces are going through a lot right now, so he is trying to keep things stable at home. Whatever is on his mind is working on him here at work." I thought over the situation for a moment.

"So then what is going on with Joan?"

"Oh, that? I have no clue." and with that comment, Jai walked off.

"You still haven't answered my question about _Sophie_!" I yelled after him.

* * *

The house was finally silent as I made my way down the stairs and maneuvered into the kitchen with light steps.

"The girls are finally asleep then?" Auggie was leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed, his face betraying that while I had been away, he had been lost in deep thought.

"Yeah. Chloe refused to go to sleep until I made sure that her favorite blanket was covering her cast and wouldn't move the whole night. She thinks her cast gets cold at night." I grinned as I moved along side Auggie. We stood there for several moments and I listened to our combined breathing; mine light and even paced, Auggie's slow and deep. I remembered the conversation that I had with Jai earlier and a sudden though came to my mind.

"Auggie, it's still early and you haven't had a night out since you moved in. If you want, I'll stay here and watch the girls if you wanna go to Allen's. I think Jai might still be there and it's a Friday night; Lot's of Coeds." I let the last part slip out in a sing song voice. A smile started to pull at the edge of Auggie's mouth and he chuckled before going quiet.

"I think I would much rather stay here tonight. In fact," Auggie turned my way and let his smile overtake his face, "How about a movie? Popcorn and some beers would go great with some Hitchcock. Maybe..._Vertigo_?"

"You pop the popcorn and I'll start the movie."

* * *

"'_You shouldn't have been so sentimental.'_" I watched with tired eyes as the characters on screen came together in a kiss before being interrupted by a nun, causing Kim Novak's character to back off the edge of the bell tower with a scream. The nun made the motions of a cross and started ringing the bell. I waited for the credits to start rolling before looking down in my lap. Auggie had fallen silent by the time Madeline had plunged to her death the first time and his head had been firmly planted on my leg since. Not long after, I had started running my hands through his hair. And my fingers were still there; submerged in his raven hair and pressing softly as I ran my fingers along his scalp.

Auggie looked more peaceful than I had seen him in weeks. The muscles of his forehead no longer looked like they were trying to meld the two sides of his face together. The corners of his mouth were smoothed down and I could just make out the sight of frown lines that were taking residence on his face. The past month and a half seemed to have aged him several years.

To be honest, I hadn't thought that he and Michael had been such good friends that his loss would have caused such a stress. Even with the girls being thrust into his life. The move hadn't had any visible effect on Auggie's mood, other than the first several times he had bumped violently against the coffee table in the living room. And to my knowledge, that left only one thing that would have had any effect on him.

The letter. The very one he had received from Michael at the reading of the Will was tucked away in Auggie's vest pocket, the edge sticking out in plain view. Common sense told me that since the letter was private it had been transcribed into braille, but that didn't stop my mind for forming ways to catch a peek and trying to translate it. The letter held such power over my friend and I continued to stare at it, hoping that it would somehow share with me it's secrets.

"I always forget how depressing that movie is." Auggie turned his head softly, his face was now facing mine. "He falls in love, loses her, goes into a depression, finds her again, only to loser her the same way he lost her in the first place... A man can only take so much." I watched in fascination as Auggie fell silent again and found myself wanting to do nothing but watch every movement his muscles made. I continued to move my hand through his hair, smiling as he leaned into my touch.

As I looked at Auggie's face I was struck with how handsome he was. Blind or not, Auggie was an impressive figure to look at. His angular features mixed so well with his natural boyishness. His eyes were closed and his long lashes splayed out against his cheeks to lead my sight down his cheeks, along his jaw before coming to rest on his lips. I had already brought my hand up to touch his lips and find out if they were as soft as they looked before I shook my head, dropping my hand, and dispelling the thoughts that had been running though my mind. Auggie was my best friend. The best friend I had ever had besides Danielle. That aside, he was visibly under a large amount of emotional stress.

"Auggie..." I moved my legs around a little to try and get his attention. "Auggie, it's getting late. I think it's time to go to bed." _And to clear my head_. Auggie grabbed my arm as I tried to get up from the couch, promptly halting my efforts.

"I wish I could see what you look like. Not just running my hand over your face to get a general idea or hear what other people have to say, but to look at you and _see_ your face." I looked down into Auggie's face and I could see so much going on behind his unseeing eyes, but I couldn't define any of it.

"Auggie, is everything alright?" Auggie closed his eyes put I pushed on. "Stu and I have both noticed that you haven't...been yourself lately. Did Michael say something, in his letter? I mean, I know it's private, but-" Auggie sighed and sat up, letting go of my arm and running his hands over his face.

"Yeah. Everything is fine." Auggie stood and this time I reached out to grab his arm.

"Auggie, I hope you know that I am here for you if you need anything. I know that this last month hasn't been a vacation for you and I really appreciate your help with the girls. I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk to me, about anything, I am here. I'll listen." Auggie pulled out his cane and, as he let it unfold, gave me a week smile, the one that I had been seeing around the DPD for weeks. One step forward and two steps back.

"I'll let you know if I need a listening ear." Auggie lifted his hand against my cheek and bent down to kiss my forehead before making his way out of the room, the clicks of his cane making a steady rhythm, and leaving me just as clueless about his mood as before.

But of one thing I was sure. Something in that letter had caused a change in my friend. But more importantly, something was causing a change in me.

* * *

** Really quick, how cute was the hospital scene and when Auggie found out about the doctor? I melted. MELTED. (Sigh of contentment.) I think Auggie might be falling sooner than I thought. ****So what is going on with Joan? With Jai? And what exactly has our favorite CIA Handler so worked up? Let me know what you think. ****Also, reviews are my drug. Please take a moment and feed my addiction?**


	7. Chapter 7

**If you really want to know why it took so long, check out my profile. With that, on to the story!**

* * *

For the first official week in my new job, I had had more than my fair share of work to do. Files were escorted to my desk with an eerie sense of clockwork. I was excited to be using so many different languages in such a short span of time. It helped me to get over the pull I was feeling for the field. Two weeks later, I realized it was all an illusion. I had been working mostly on backlogged intel. Now? Now I was ready to climb up a wall. Or ask Joan if she needed her files organized. I would even be willing to color code them by threat level.

Not long after I had started twirling around in my chair my phone buzzed with a text. I quickly pulled the phone from my pocket, almost knocking myself out of my chair in the process.

_Need you in tech._

I almost launched myself from my chair.

I strolled into Auggie's office just in time to hear the large breath that he let out in exasperation. He ran his hands over his head, ruffling his hair, before pulling his headphones off and letting them drop to his shoulders. Then I heard the whispered swear word followed by his new agent's name.

"I bet right now you are realizing that I wasn't as bad at taking directions as you believed."

Auggie smiled and turned in the direction of my voice. "I'm ready to launch an internal investigation into the recruiting process and the training at The Farm."

"That bad?" I asked, referring to his new charge, Agent Sykes.

"Worse. You may have been inadvertently shot at on your first day, but this guy acts like he is _trying_ to get shot on every mission. Half tempted to shoot him myself."

"Is that why you called me in here?" I smiled as I half sat on the corner of Auggie's desk. "Need help hiding the body?"

Auggie's smile wavered. "Agent Sykes managed a brush pass in Germany two days ago without getting himself shot. We had a new asset come forward two months ago. An American who has information on Igorek Novikov."

"The Russian arms dealer? How did that happen?"

Auggie picked up a file that had been sitting on his desk and handed it to me. "Apparently, our informant, Russel, went to go work at Anchova Tech when he was fresh out of college. Then Novikov decided to kill the ceo and make Anchova one of his fronts. He found out that Russel had minored in Propulsion Engineering while at MIT and decided to use that to his advantage." Anchova. The name sounded familiar.

"Russel started working for Novikov?" I looked at the intell that Auggie had just handed me, sad to find the small Russian dialect _Trasianka_ among its writings. That was going to take a while to translate.

"More like Novikov threatened Russel. Told him he would kill his family if he didn't do what he was told." One of the oldest tricks in the book. Bad guys didn't have to think of new ways to coerce people into working for them because the old methods worked so well. I read through a couple of lines before a thought came to mind.

"Why is he reaching out to us now? Why after all this time?"

"Novikov killed his family. Well, part of them."Auggie frowned. "He thought Russel was starting to lose his nerve. All it did was make him angry and seek out to destroy him."

"Losing your family can make you think about life differently."Auggie and I sat for a few silent minutes before I broke the spell. "Is this all we have?" I flipped through the intell, only finding three papers.

"Yeah. Russel has guts getting this stuff from Novikov, but he is also afraid of getting to much too quickly. Doesn't want him getting even a hint of what he is up to and killing the rest of his family. He won't tell us where they are because he doesn't want word getting out that the CIA is watching his family. Guy isn't going to take any chances."

"Can't we just track them down?"

"Nope. Russel isn't his real name and even Sykes wasn't able to get a photo of him." Auggie rose from his chair, which put him close enough to smell his soap, and stretched. I couldn't help that I closed my eyes and let the smell wash over me. I hadn't gotten this good a whiff of the smell since that night Auggie held me as I cried myself to sleep. I needed to bring myself back to reality, so I stood as well, making sure to take a couple of steps back from the muscled blind man.

"I'll try and get these done before Chloe's appointment tonight. She made me promise that we would be home in time to get to the doctors ten minutes early." Auggie laughed out loud as he settled back into his chair, ready to get back to work. I opened the sliding glass door to Auggie's office and was halfway out when his voice called out to me.

"Hey, after Chloe is done at the doctor, why don't we take the girls out to eat at _Miners_? You could use a day off from cooking and the girls could use a treat." My smile widened and my cheeks started to hurt.

"Your treat." After sliding the door closed behind me, I took one step into the DPD's main floor before I noticed how silent it was. I looked up and noticed two groups of Agents who had obviously been working before something more interesting caught their attention. Namely me. Not one moment after I caught them watching, they attempted to make themselves look busy. Maybe Auggie should start that inquiry into The Farm. And they called themselves Agents.

* * *

"-And then when he took the cast off, he told me that he's never seen a cast taken care of so well. _Then_ he gave me the pack of gum. He said that I earned it." Chloe grabbed one of her chicken nuggets and munched on it. "Aunt Annie didn't tell the story right." Auggie and I, sitting kitty corner from each other, both started laughing.

"Well, it's a good thing that you retold the story for us Chloe. Your Aunt left a lot out. She never was very good at getting information straight." Auggie bumped into my shoulder, making Chloe's eyes beam with mirth.

"Aunt Annie, can I go play in the Goldmine?" I turned my attention from Chloe to her sister, who had been quiet for most of dinner, and then looked to the children's play area she was pointing to.

"Yeah, sure." Katia got up from her seat and calmly walked away.

"Aunt Annie, can I go play too?" Chloe's loud voice surprised me. I smiled and nodded my assent before I turned my attention to Katia's plate. Her children's menu order had been nibbled at, but nothing more. I racked my memory to recall how much she had been eating lately.

"-the girls are gone and I'm not interesting anymore?"

"Wha-" I looked up and noticed the smile on Auggie's face. I swatted his arm playfully before deciding to have a little fun with him. "As a matter of fact, you just aren't keeping up your end of the conversation lately. I have had to start holding our conversations in my head. So much more interesting that way."

Auggie smiled. "Don't have the ear bud anymore but I'm still inside your head, huh?" We both started laughing as the waitress came to deliver our check.

"Here's your check. I'll be your cashier when you're ready." She placed the black book on our table followed by a couple of plastic cups that had goldmines for tops. "Here are the cups that came with your girls' orders. I have you say that you two have some of the cutest girls I have ever seen!" The waitress flounced off before Auggie or I could set her straight.

A strange flutter started in my chest. I looked at the girls as they played, Katia more soberly than her sister, and then looked at Auggie. I hadn't ever realized it before, but there was enough of a resemblance that I couldn't really blame the waitress for thinking that we were a family.

Auggie sat silent.

"Auggie? Are you okay?" I asked, still fighting the flutter in my chest.

"Do they really look that much like me?" He sounded like there was something boiling under the surface, ready to burst forth at any moment, held in place, but just barely.

"Yeah, a little. You know that they have dark brown hair. But they also have a little kids version of your nose." Auggie looked down at his plate and let out a small breath. "You know, Danielle said one time, after I had taken you home, that if she didn't know any better, she would have thought that you were Michael's brother instead of Robert. He has blond hair and his face is more round. More like his mom. You could definitely pass for the girls' father. For a couple more years at least."

Auggie ran his hands over his face a couple times before setting his eyes somewhere over my shoulder.

"That's that he told me in the letter. Well, one of the things." Chloe squealed in delight over in the play area and Auggie took a moment to listen to the children's laughter. "He said that in the time that we had spent together he had come to really respect me and see me as a friend. He knew that if anything were to happen to them that you would get the girls. He didn't want you to go through that alone. He knew that I would be there for you, but he also asked me to be there for the girls. Said that they were going to need someone to remind them of their father. To be that for them until their uncle was able to spend more time with them." Auggie's eyes were growing red and the tell tale signs of emotion were echoing through his voice. "I didn't realize what he meant till now. Annie, I could pass as their dad in looks, but I have never raised a kid before. Hell, I'm the youngest kid in my family, cousins included, and up until a month and a half ago I lived like a carefree bachelor. What if I let them down? Let Michael down?"

I reached out and placed my hand on Auggie's shoulder. So that was what had been bothering him all these weeks?

"Auggie. We couldn't have made it as far as we have if we didn't have you here with us. You keep me sane and you're the only one that has been able to get a laugh out of Katia."

"You make her laugh." Auggie protested.

"No, Auggie, I make her roll her eyes and smile when she thinks that I have messed something up. You make her laugh." I put my hands on either side of Auggie's face and moved it till he was facing my direction. "You are doing wonderful. Michael would be so thankful for what you have done for us."

Auggie was silent. Then a smile broke out over his face. "Thank you, Annie."

* * *

After the girls were tucked up in their beds, Auggie and I sat at the kitchen table, each of us with a small glass of wine, settling down from the long day we had had before heading off to our rooms for the night.

"Annie."

"Hmmm?" I was starting to lull and had been daydreaming.

"The week before the girls go to Moira's for spring break, I have somewhere that I need to go. Will you and the girls be alright without me?" I propped my head on my hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Just need to take care of something else for Michael." Again, my curiosity peaked. The other thing from the letter.

"Yeah. Yeah we should be good." Auggie finished his wine then stood and left the kitchen for the quest house with a quiet goodnight.

I took that as my cue and headed to my own room.

When Auggie had moved into the guest house, I moved into the house. As weird as it had seemed at the time, I had taken Danielle's and Michael's room, leaving most of my things in boxes until I could get all their things sorted and stored.

Sitting on the bedside table was one thing that I insisted on keeping out of my boxes of things. My letter from Danielle. I walked over to the bed and, sitting down, grabbed the worn letter in my hands. I didn't know why I had never opened it. It had sat amongst my things in the guest house until I moved into this room, where it then took residence leaning against the lamp. I fingered the edges, just like I did every night. Was tonight the night that I opened it? I still wasn't sure if I wanted to read what she had written.

I weighed the letter in my hand for several minutes before letting it drop back onto the bedside table.

No, tonight was not the night.

* * *

**So, even though it was several weeks ago, I realized while watching the last episodes of CA that if I had just gotten my act together and beaten my muse into submission, then I could have predicted some of the things in the show with my story. Well, kinda. But I'm not going to tell what! Also, this chapter was shorter than I would have liked, but I just couldn't create a way to make it longer.  
Also, we know part of what was in the letter. I hope that everyone had a happy holiday season.  
Everyone who has reviewed or put me on their alerts holds a special place in my writers heart. I will make a huge batch of cookie and find some way to send them through the computer and into the hands of everyone. So, if you wan't more cookies when I finally invent a way to do this, review :) **


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